>> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm livia. let's start with our top story for this week. whether college is still several years away or just around the corner, we can all use some help with deciding where to apply. eden gets some expert advice. >> if you're planning on going to college, there's a -- and here's a great s.a.t. word to remember -- "plethora" of factors to consider.

me, i think, is that it's, like, specific for the major i want to have. >> the size of the campus and how much money and, like, if i get a scholarship. >> the location of the school and how big or small it is and kind of, like, the atmosphere and what the campus life is like, and then if they have, like, the major that i'm interested in and sports. >> i guess things like whether it's good for my major. >> to me, it's very important, one, to have the teachers who are able to teach you. also, the connections that the school is able to give you, like, after -- the way they help you, like, apply for jobs. >> like i said, there are a plethora of factors to consider. unfortunately, too many of us base our decisions on the wrong ones. to help us avoid making those mistakes, we're joined by melissa cohen. she's an author and an expert on education. welcome. >> hi. it's a pleasure to be here. >> choosing a college seems pretty scary for most of us. >> of course. it's one of the biggest decisions you'll make as a

be the hardest. >> you have a list of the top five mistakes teens make. so let's start with number five. you say that it's not smart to pick a school simply because someone we know went there. >> yes. parents, relatives, and friends often encourage us to go to the schools that they went to, 'cause they had a great time. just because they had a wonderful experience doesn't mean that you will, too. what's a good fit for one person isn't necessarily a good fit for another. >> doesn't being a legacy help you to get in? >> no. being a legacy is just a factor on your application. it does not guarantee admission. >> okay. so, what's the next thing to avoid basing your school decisions on? >> the social life. just because a school has great parties, beaches, or skiing does not mean it's the place for you. you're there for to learn, not for an extended vacation. you need to make sure that the school offers the academics that you're interested in so you can be successful. >> moving on to number three.

just like with social life, just because a school has a great sports team doesn't make it a deciding factor. having good sports brings a lot more to the college experience. but unless you're playing on that team, it's just a bonus. >> i guess bragging rights that your school makes the final four is not the best reason to apply there. what's the next mistake to avoid? >> yes. impressing your family or friends is not a great reason to choose a school. they'll be more impressed with what you do with your time and how you thrive. if you fail out, they won't be impressed at all. >> right. impress them with your accomplishments. so this brings us to your number-one reason to steer clear of when deciding where to apply for college. >> the harder a school is to get into doesn't necessarily mean it's the best education for you. college rankings are based on a variety of different factors, and each one is compiled differently. you need to make sure that the school offers the academics that you are interested in. it doesn't matter what the sweatshirt says. if you're not happy, you won't

you need to be engaged on all levels in order to thrive at college. >> great advice. thank you. >> thank you, and good luck. >> as with any important decision, do your research. of course, talk to those whose opinions you value. your parents and the school guidance counselor are a good start. but you might want to also check out this website. it's called ratemyprofessors.com. it's filled with reviews of the faculty, as well as reviews of the schools themselves, all written by the students. just make sure that as you weigh your options, you keep focused on the important priorities. but that doesn't mean college can't be fun. just not too much fun. >> it's been said that if you snooze, you lose. well, that may or may not be true when it comes to hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock. according to the harvard medical school, there are pros and cons. first, the con.

the remaining sleep you'll get is probably not as restful as the extra uninterrupted sleep you would have gotten had you just set your alarm for the later time. got that? okay. now the pro. snoozing for a few minutes after the alarm goes off can help you wake up gradually, rather than just being jerked awake. depending on how you like to wake up, you need to choose whether to snooze or not to snooze. >> helping patients to heal with the power of pets.

>> for many of us, pets are an important part of the family. but we'll meet a young girl who probably owes her life to a furry friend. scott tells us about the organization that makes this possible. >> would you like to say hi to clarabelle? >> meet the healthcare providers no money can buy. they give and give and give some more. along with their owners, these

they are part of an organization that trains humans and their pets to visit the sick, the elderly, and disabled. >> the animals have an innate sense of knowing when someone needs comfort. >> a little girl named jordan needed more than comfort when she was 5 years old. >> my leg was really hurting one night, and then i had to go in the ambulance to the hospital. >> a rare bone disease was causing unbearable pain. >> my daughter wouldn't let me touch her. she wouldn't let her father touch her, paramedics touch her. >> even after surgery, jordan was miserable. with a device drilled into her bone, she refused to get out of bed or even eat. >> my daughter was dying. she was dying. >> and then came a miracle -- the pet partner team of janelle

>> and when we saw jenna, me and mommy, we were like, "why is there a dog in the hospital?" and when jenna came in my room, she just did tricks for me, and then she came up on the bed and then cuddled on this horse. >> the bond was immediate, and so was the effect on jordan. a bargain. if she would eat, she could take jenna for a walk. >> and so i ate some of my lunch, and i got out of bed, and i walked the dog. >> jordan was still hooked up to her medicine. but the little girl and the loving dog took a walk all around the hospital hallway -- a journey back to life. >> my daughter was on the brink of death, and that dog helped bring her back.

>> that was two years ago. here's a happy reunion. >> hi, jenna! >> stories like this one are happening all the time, all around the country. pet partners teams inspire smiles at all kinds of healthcare facilities -- at group homes for people with learning challenges... at veterans hospitals... even at schools and libraries. >> "to sleep, perchance to dream." >> sherman the pig helps kids learn to read. >> pet partners has helped me build more confidence in my reading out loud. >> and kids can be on the other side of the leash, as well. teens with pets who pass the training are welcome to become volunteers. healthcare professionals recognize how effective pet partners can be. in fact, the experts see a measurable difference in their patients. >> having animals around and visiting lowers their blood pressure. >> we know that it also decreases perceptions of pain,

relax, and that's really, really important. >> it all goes to show you, love is good medicine. for "teen kids news," i'm scott. >> just how popular is twitter? in a single day, the number of words tweeted would fill a book. and not just an ordinary book, but a book with 10 million pages. let me give you an idea of just how big a book that would be. let's say you could read a page every 30 seconds. if you read nonstop day and night, it would take you more than two years to finish it. go ahead. impress your followers. tweet that. >> injuries happen. when they do, we'll show you what you

>> we all should know what to do in a medical emergency. that's why we're bringing you tips on first aid from the

>> sprains and strains are a pain. but a little first aid can go a long way. lipica shah is an instructor for the american red cross. what is the difference between a sprain and a strain? >> a sprain is the stretching or tearing of ligaments at a joint. and a strain is the stretching or tearing of your muscles and tendons, so, just different body parts. >> so, what do we do? >> so, let's all get on the ground, because if you hurt your ankle, you'd be on the ground. regardless of whether it's a sprain or a strain, we treat it the same way using the acronym rice -- r.i.c.e. that stands for rest, immobilize, cold, and elevate. rest just means stay in the position that we found it. if it's at an awkward angle, i want to leave it that way,

could cause the injury to be worse. immobilize really only comes into play if i need to move cammie somewhere else, like if it's unsafe where i am. i want to make sure that her injury isn't gonna move from its position while we are moving, so i might have to do something to keep it in place. cold is really one of the most important things, and that's exactly what it sounds like. take something cold -- an ice pack, a bag of frozen vegetables, anything -- to help reduce swelling. so, put a towel or some other material between her skin and the ice, and put the ice right over the injury site. and elevation. elevation is another way to reduce swelling. but it should only be done if it won't cause more pain. so if i can, i'm very gently gonna lift up her foot. can you grab that backpack right there? you can really use anything to elevate the injury, and gently place it back down. so, that's all you would do for a sprain or strain. r.i.c.e. -- rest, immobilize,

>> rice is good to know. but remember, even with relatively minor injuries, it's important to get proper medical attention. for "tkn," i'm alexa. >> ever take a close look at your state flag? you should, because you might be surprised at how much you can learn from it. >> if you ask someone what state they're from, and they hold up their hand like this, they're from michigan. here's detroit. the state is shaped like a mitten with a hat on it. michigan is made up of two peninsulas, the lower and the upper, called the "u.p." >> in english, the michigan motto means "if you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you." a peninsula is a body of land surrounded on three sides by water. and michigan has an extensive coastline. there are the four great lakes. they're michigan, huron, erie, and superior.

flag, the latin for "if you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you." you'll also find lots of water. michigan has more coastline than any state but alaska. >> this is actually how the missionaries and the fur trappers that settled the land first got there. >> that's one of them on the shore in the center of the flag. although he's holding a gun, he's waving -- a peaceful gesture, you might say. but then there's this word. >> tuebor means "i will defend" and dates back to 1835, when tensions rose so high between the neighboring states michigan and ohio that they almost went to war. >> there's more latin across the top. you'll recognize e pluribus unum, "one from many," a salute to the diversity that helps make this country great. oh, almost forgot. move over, diagon alley. the michigan town of colon is home to the biggest maker of magical supplies. with flag facts, i'm ellie. >> elvis presley is one of the most famous and most successful

so you might be surprised to hear that when he took music in middle school, he barely passed, only getting a "c." there's a moral here. if you have a dream, don't let a few setbacks make you feel you can't accomplish that dream. elvis was able to take that "c" and turn it into a "k," as in king of rock 'n' roll. >> there's lots more ahead on "teen kids news," so don't go away.

>> throughout the year, we bring hooplaha. this week's video is on a program that helps disabled teens do something they never thought they could. >> i've never skied before, but

never done a snow sport. i've always been an amputee. and i wasn't very sporty, so i used to get bullied a lot, which most people do, but, obviously, i was an easier target. it's different, because now i'm socializing with young disabled people. >> the experience of being with other people with similar disabilities i think makes them feel a lot more self-assured. you get here, and half the kids are missing a limb. and so it becomes from being a bit shy, it's, "right, let's get in the hot tub." legs come off. arms come off. >> it's just really important to have these programs so that people not only can get involved physically, but socially, emotionally. they can interact with their peers, do recreational activities with their peers and with their family in a therapeutic, recreational setting. >> the confidence and the belief

have before is life-changing. and for us as volunteers, the privilege of being part of that is great. you can't help but come back. >> this trip means that i am able to ski. like, it's a place that i can actually ski, 'cause with an extensive list of disabilities like i have, it's hard to be allowed to do a lot of stuff. so, for example, my school does a ski trip, but they would never be able to take me on it 'cause they don't have the equipment. they wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. so this trip is amazing for me. >> there's nowhere in europe that does that what this does. we can't get closer to home, so we fly all the way from the u.k. to here just for this. we enjoy staying in winter park. we enjoy the holiday. but actually, the nscd is why we're here. >> each time you've come down by yourself, you've fallen once. >> yeah. >> now, if you saw that class of two-legged skiers over there... >> they're falling a lot. >> they'rere falling a lot. >> all of my instructors have been so nice, and they've pushed

out of the trip i could. >> they might be using a walker. they might be using crutches or canes. but the beauty about skiing is when you put on skis, you can just put your feet on the ground, let the skis slide along the snow, and glide down the hill and have the wind in their hair and really experience that thrill. >> i enjoy skiing now, and i want to do it again, definitely want to do it again. >> only 27 players have ever hit 50 or more home runs in a single season. and of the first 16 times 50 or more home runs were hit in a single campaign, 15 of them were done by hall of famers. some of those hall of famers include babe ruth, willie mays, jimmie foxx, and mickey mantle. and of the first 16 times 50 or

single season, the only person to not be in the hall of fame to do so was roger maris in 1961. that year, he broke babe ruth's single-season home run record with 61 home runs. i'm matt for "teen kids news." >> this important message is brought to you by the national road safety foundation. [ suspenseful music plays ] [ thuds ] [ cellphone vibrates ] >> what if your mom or dad texted while driving and got hurt or worse? imagine how you would feel. >> is everything all right? >> i don't know. >> that's why they don't want you

>> once again, we're with sandi masori, america's top balloon expert. she's showing us how to make balloon sculptures. so, i know that some of those sculptures you make are pretty complicated, like this one. can you tell us about this? >> well, this one, what makes this complicated -- this is a bow and arrow, in case you didn't recognize it. but what make it complicated is not so much the bow part, but it's these double pinch twists on the arrow. so, these pinch twists are what we use to make teddy-bear ears and anytime we need to turn a corner or anything. but it's not what i would necessarily teach as the first balloon lesson. it's something that, as you get more comfortable with balloons, really becomes something that you're gonna use a lot of. but in this case, it's going to help us shoot the arrow. >> oh, my gosh! [ both laugh ] that really works! >> i know. those really fly. that's why i love making these so much, because -- and the thing is, once you bring those out, that's all you're

party. >> right. all right. so, what if you're kind of more of a beginner? what's something easier to learn how to make? >> well, let's make a balloon heart. a balloon heart is made out of one balloon. and instead of twisting it, we're actually just kind of shaping it by training the balloon, if you will, by folding it. so, i'm gonna give you a balloon, and i'm gonna take a balloon. and the first thing that we're going to do is we're going to -- now, this balloon, it's fully inflated, but i've given it a good burp -- you know, pbht! let some air out so that it's nice and squishy, right? so, the next thing that we're gonna do is we're gonna kind of push the air out of the tip there. and then we're going to tie the two ends together, just like you are tying your shoelaces. and, you know, don't be afraid to stretch those pieces of balloons so that you can get them tied. >> all right. it's tied. >> okay. so, now we're gonna take it, and we're going to flip it around... >> okay. >> ...so that we have the bottom of it kind of facing us.

like, use our stomach and our other body parts to kind of brace it. and what we're gonna do is we're gonna bring it in. you're going to squeeze all of the air out of it as you're bringing it in, especially the tip, the corner there, and then slowly let the air back into it. and this is gonna kind of train the balloon, and it's gonna make it take that shape. and when you let go, it'll be a heart. >> it's beautiful. look at that. >> yeah, it's something that's day. you can embellish hats by adding it to it. you can put animals inside of it, or you can just be a standalone. i mean, who doesn't like to, you know, get love? >> yeah. [ chuckles ] so, these are not only cool to make. knowing how to make even simple balloon sculptures is a smart way to make money. if you want more information, check out our website. for "teen kids news," i'm emily. >> that wraps it up for this edition of "teen kids news."

>> write to us at info@teenkidsnews.com. here's a shout-out to p.r. newswire for including "teen kids news" on their big screen in times square,

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